In March 2026, Nebraska Water Center Director Chittaranjan Ray and I traveled to India for two weeks. In addition to delivering presentations at an international symposium, we also deepened collaboration with agricultural research institutes in two Indian states; delivered training courses; and studied advances in irrigation and agriculture being pioneered on small- to medium-sized commercial farms in the country.
Odisha and Maharashtra States – Agricultural technology in the field
We spent the first week in Odisha State on the east coast, where a large and impressive range of crops are grown in the warm and humid subtropical climate. We then moved to Maharashtra State on the west coast where the dry and hot climate means that irrigation is essential and careful catchment water management is critical. We were joined there by University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) colleague Chris Proctor, an extension educator in agronomy and horticulture and part of the award-winning Testing of Agricultural Performance Solutions (TAPS) team.
Figure 1:Local farmer and agriculture entrepreneur Krishnachandra Nag shows Chittaranjan Ray and Jude Cobbing a high-yielding irrigated tomato crop he has grown in rural Odisha State, India.
In both Odisha and Maharashtra States, Indian researchers are collaborating closely with local farmers on new crop varieties, better irrigation, innovative pest control, improved water management and higher yields. Artificial intelligence (AI) is being linked to Internet-of-Things (IoT) instrument networks to improve decision-making for irrigation and reduce costs. Universities are encouraging students to start agtech companies and making resources available to support them.
I’d expected to see cutting-edge technological approaches in agriculture; after all, India helped pioneer the Green Revolution back in the ’60s and ’70s. However, I was still surprised by the complexity and sophistication of many of the contemporary systems and approaches in agriculture. Counterparts in India are not afraid to experiment; use big data and AI; try new crop varietals; or tweak conventional approaches to match Indian conditions.
Indian farms tend to be much smaller than commercial farms in the United States, and nuances of land tenure, ownership structures and traditional livelihood approaches add to the complexity of boosting Indian commercial farm outputs. Agricultural technology doesn’t exist in a vacuum, of course, but must be aligned with its institutional and cultural context if it is to be most effective. And it is in this area, amongst others, that the rest of the world has much to learn from Indian agriculture.
Successful agriculture means working with the existing social, economic and political configurations in the country. Farm sizes and shapes, water allocations, energy and transport availability, storage facilities, market fluctuations, local government policy and a hundred other local factors all combine to govern the success or failure of a commercial agricultural innovation. Agtech innovation ignores this local institutional context at its peril.
Figure 2: Chittaranjan Ray, Jude Cobbing, and a local researcher viewing a proposed hill-farm irrigation site in Odisha State, India. The idea was to lift water using solar pumps to header tanks supporting drip irrigation of seasonal and tree crops, for both livelihood improvement and erosion reduction. A body of water and mountains are shown in the background.
In Kenya in east Africa, for example, farm sizes are also small, and most farming areas have long traditions of agricultural practices that are attuned to local environmental and climate realities. Introducing new and high-tech agricultural innovation is about more than just the cost and energy requirements. Innovations need to make sense to farmers and be practically implementable given various constraints. Innovations in Indian small-scale commercial agriculture has lessons for Africa and beyond, and it makes sense for DWFI to deepen our dialogue with Indian counterparts as we seek to offer solutions to smallholders and small-scale commercial farmers.
International Symposium on AI in Agriculture
At Siksha O Anusandhan (SOA) University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha State, Chittaranjan and I gave keynote lectures at the two-day International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Agriculture and Allied Sectors for Sustainable Food Security (Figures 3 and 4). Chittaranjan spoke on water, food security and global challenges, while my talk covered agriculture, water use, and Africa-India-USA collaboration.
Figure 3: Jude Cobbing and Chittaranjan Ray talking at the Symposium on AI in Agriculture at SOA University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha State, India.
Figure 4: Chittaranjan Ray is interviewed by the local media at the International Symposium on AI in Agriculture at SOA University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha State, India.
Transformation of a small ancestral farm into a thriving agri-business
After the symposium, we spent a day with Krishnachandra Nag, a small commercial farmer who has transformed his small ancestral farm into a thriving agri-business with more than 700 shareholders, the Agrahichasi Producer Company Limited. Krishnachandra now exports tomatoes, chilis and mangoes, using 16 acres under drip irrigation to ensure year-round output instead of the traditional reliance on monsoon rains (Figure 1). He collaborates with extension specialists to adjust agrochemical inputs, optimize crop varietals and explore synergies such as using manure from his intensive goat-rearing operation to fertilize tomatoes and installing his own solar-powered cold storage facility. Krishnachandra’s success is also partly due to deliberate government policies providing all-weather rural roads and low-cost rural electricity. He is often invited to talk to farmers at local extension centers (called Krushi Vikas Kendras), funded by the state government. He is also helping young entrepreneurs in small-scale commercial agriculture.
Jeypore area – Tribal Agrobiodiversity Centre and Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation
The DWFI team then traveled to Koraput near the city of Jeypore to visit the Tribal Agrobiodiversity Centre satellite office of the MS Swaminathan Foundation, a non-profit organization managing community-based gene, seed, grain and water banks. The Centre also promotes genetic literacy and documents conservation traditions. We collaborated in planning a new small-scale irrigation venture which will pump water from the Kolab surface water reservoir using solar pumps to irrigate nearby hillsides for food and tree crops. We scoped out several sites for potential implementation and visited the area (Figures 2 and 5).
Figure 5: Chittaranjan Ray advising two collaborators on hillside irrigation at the MS Swaminathan Foundation at Koraput, Odisha State, India.
We wrapped up our stay in the Jeypore area with a visit to the Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation at Koraput, which conducts research and training on improved land management and farm rehabilitation. Soil moisture conservation in subtropical climates is a specialty of the institute. They are developing low-cost tanks and monitoring systems for drip irrigation and erosion control (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Jude Cobbing, Chittaranjan Ray and representatives of the Institute of Soil and Water Conservation in the town of Koraput, Odisha State, India. The group stands in front of a sign displaying the institute’s name.
Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth University
After traveling to Maharashtra State and linking up with Chris Proctor, we visited Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth University between Pune and Nashik. This campus was established in the 1960s as Maharashtra State’s first agricultural university, part of the government of India’s large push to transform agriculture. An additional, new campus is currently being built. Our host and head of the Department of Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, Sachin Nandgude, who previously worked with DWFI and the Nebraska Water Center, showed us the facilities at the new campus including a large experimental farm where numerous hybrids and varietals are being tested (Figure 9). The university is interested in collaborating with DWFI, including in the exchange of post-doctoral students.
Sahyadri Farms
A visit to a nearby commercial venture, Sahyadri Farms, followed (Figure 7). Sahyadri Farms is a collective of over 18,000 farmers who together make up one of India’s largest agricultural exporters. Sophisticated groundwater-dependent irrigation and soil moisture control allows the production of high-value herbs, grapes, fruit and vegetables for export. The venture has advanced post-harvest processing facilities as well, including freeze-drying and the packing of 40 tons of fresh grapes per day for supermarkets in the Middle East and European Union. The DWFI team discussed Sahyadri Farm’s journey to prosperity with senior members of their team, including the all-important role of government and the regulatory environment, the ways in which local farmers could become members of the collective, and their approaches to risk management.
Figure 7: Chittaranjan Ray and Chris Proctor discuss a grape crop with the team at Sahyadri Farms, Maharashtra State, India.
Agricultural Development Trust
We then drove to the Agricultural Development Trust (ADT) near Baramati, where Chris Proctor gave a talk on UNL’s Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) program and the potential for a TAPS-like program in India (Figure 8). The UNL team then spoke with students and faculty before signing a memorandum of understanding between ADT and UNL. This document acknowledges our shared interests and is a first step towards closer collaboration between the two institutions. Nebraska Water Center staff, managed by Chittaranjan Ray, and the Adaptive Cropping Systems Lab of USDA-ARS then hosted the first installment of a training program on the crop model CLASSIM to a group of 30 people worldwide, nearly half of whom were from India. CLASSIM allows researchers to enter details of weather, soil and management inputs, and will then output how a proposed crop is going to grow over time. It is a powerful tool that allows predictions to be make without the time and expense of field trials.
Figure 8: UNL’s Chris Proctor provides a lecture on TAPS to a large group of students and faculty at the College of Agriculture and Allied Sciences, Baramati, Maharashtra State, India.
Centre for Advanced Agricultural Science and Technology for Climate Smart Agriculture and Water Management
Back at Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth University at Rahuri, the DWFI team toured the university’s Centre for Advanced Agricultural Science and Technology for Climate Smart Agriculture and Water Management and discussed collaboration opportunities with faculty there. This engagement included a visit to the famous “millionaire’s village” at Hiware Bazar, an agricultural village in Ahmednagar District where the incomes of the residents have been transformed through innovative water management and agricultural strategies, largely through the efforts of local headman, Sarpanch Pawar. Again, success here depended on the coexistence of high-tech science-led solutions with existing traditional and institutional arrangements, and the engagement of local government.
Figure 9: Chittaranjan Ray and Chris Proctor examining a corn crop on the experimental farm at Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth University, Rahuri, Maharashtra State, India.
Next steps and beyond
Next steps in deepening collaboration between DWFI and Indian research organizations include a proposed journal article on catchment water management, potential exchanges of post-doctoral students, and cooperation in DWFI’s initiatives in small-scale commercial agriculture in Africa. Virtual follow-up meetings are planned in the coming weeks and these will be boosted by the fact that all participants recently met in person.
This trip reflects the core mission of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: to advance water and food security through science, education and partnerships that transcend borders. By forging new research collaborations; exchanging knowledge on sustainable irrigation and smallholder agriculture; and building lasting relationships with Indian universities and farming communities, DWFI is strengthening its capacity to develop and scale water-smart agricultural solutions—not just for South Asia, but for food-insecure regions around the world.
